B-Greek: The Biblical Greek Forum

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Please quote the Greek text you are discussing directly in your post if it is reasonably short - do not ask people to look it up. This is not a beginner's forum, competence in Greek is assumed.

grogers wrote:Since ὃ is neuter gender, what does it refer to in the text. I'm guessing the manifestation itself since that is what John goes on to describe but, I am not sure.

Well, perhaps a little bit broader than just the manifestation, since it refers to something that was from the beginning, could be heard and seen with eyes, felt with hands, is about the word of the life, and could be announced to the readers (1:3). How about calling it the truth about the word of the life? This truth was from the beginning, but could be experienced by the writer, and could be announced to others.

Alan Patterson wrote:What beginning do you have in mind, just out of curiosity?

Well, I had in mind "the very beginning", whatever that might mean for truth. Here is my loose paraphrase.. "The truth that has always been true, that we have heard and seen and beheld and felt, the truth about the word of the life, ..., now that we have experienced it we announce to you..." I guess the use of "from the beginning" is to recall Gen 1 and Prov 8 on the beginning of creation, among other writings, to say that the beginning did not see only the creation of the heavens and the earth but that with God was also wisdom, life, his words, truth, ...